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TEMPLE OF THE DAY

Shri Dholaka Teerth

Restored To its former glory , 800 year -old in Moodbidri waits for rain

An 800-year-old tank in Moodbidri town, also
called the Jain Kashi, recognised as a national
monument by the Archaeological Survey of India
has been fully restored to its 13th century
glory. Thanks to the initiative of the ASI, the
tank is expected to hold water this monsoon,
after a hiatus of over 80 years. The tank, built
eight centuries ago by Jain chieftains, was
locally known as ‘Bhattrakere.’ The ASI prefers
to call it the ‘Ancient Tank’. The existence of
the tank goes back to the 13th century AD. It
coincides with the discovery of the Dhavala
Trilogy documents of the Jain Tirthankaras. The
Bettakere was earlier known as ‘Bhattaraka kere’
(Bhattarakas are chiefs of the Jain
monasteries); this tank was reserved for the use
of the Bhattarakas. Bhatrakere was built on a
one-acre land, and it was about 35-40 feet deep.
It used to hold water perennially, and there are
records in the mutt to show that the tank was
used by the Bhattarakas for ritual purposes.
”Restoration work was undertaken such that the
original masonry was left untouched, as far as
possible. The walls of the tank now are as they
were when the tank was originally made. It is
dressed in laterite stone, custom-cut from local
quarries. Stones were wedged together by sheer
alignment, without using any cementing agents.